This Is What Smartwatches Should Look Like

More and more manufacturers enter the developing smartwatch market but only a few are able to create a device that I would actually see myself wearing. Their smartwatches are weird and nerdy and some could even call them plain ugly. There are exceptions (like the awesome Pebble Steel), however they only prove the rule. Gábor Balogh, a freelance designer from Hungary, is looking to change that with the amazing concept of a smartwatch, which combines style and technology.

Balogh’s smartwatch puts appearance before features. It doesn’t have a colorful touch-sensitive display or access to an app store. Instead, the designer shifted focus to look and feel of a real wristwatch. He wanted to create a piece of technology that would serve him – and everyone else – and not the other way around. To do that, he asked Triwa, a Swedish watchmaker, for a permission to use their Havana timepiece and replace its traditional face with a digital display. He left the rest of the watch unchanged and managed to maintain the look of the original.

So what is smart about Balogh’s concept? It can be paired with a smartphone to display small app icons for every notification it receives, be it a message or incoming call. Moreover, it uses side-mounted buttons and bezel around the face to scroll through a long text and control features such as time, date, and alarms. When you are done for the day and need a regular watch, you can easily disconnect the smartphone.

Samsung has already failed to release an elegant-looking smartwatch. The new Samsung Galaxy Gears are good, but they’re more like mini-computers that you can wear on your wrist rather than actual watches. Rumors say Google and Apple are working on revolutionary smartwatches and we hope they will draw inspiration from Balogh’s design or even adopt it and turn into reality. Until then it is just an idea.